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View Full Version : My Friend Is Dying, and I Told Him What he Wanted to Hear. does that=bad?


Tinmaiden
04-02-2008, 09:21 PM
Hello... I'm an INTJ new to this thread and the Myers-Briggs. I believe that the classification fits me well, and there is a question that has been weighing heavily on my mind.

I have a friend who says that he is in love with me. We met online and have emailed and spoken over the phone, but have never actually met in real life. He is 16, and I am 19. I consider him a dear friend, though I have never been in love.

He just found out that he's dying of a tumor near his pituitary gland that is releasing an excess of growth hormone, and has been given a rough estimate of two weeks before it kills him. He's very sick and he has to be extremely frightened... but he tells me that my friendship and his thoughts of me give him strength and comfort. Tonight, over the telephone, I played my violin for him, an arrangement I'd put together of the Pachelbel Canon in D, which my parents were married to, and he cried. We talked for a long time; I asked him about his childhood in Russia, and even though I'm typically not an emotional person, I found myself crying. I found myself wanting to tell him something... anything... to make him feel better. So when he asked me if I loved him, I said "yes." I told him that I meant it in every sense of the word, and when he asked why, I said that it was because he was wise beyond his years, strong, and in this sick, putrid, twisted world, he'd found it within himself to love.

My dilemma is that I have still never been in love. Is telling a dying boy who thinks the world of me that I love him, for the reasons stated, a beautiful lie or a disgusting untruth? He deserves to be loved, and he deserves to feel loved, but he has only lived in the U.S. for a few months and has had little time to make friends. His host family can only do so much.

I'm both touched that I've somehow helped him deal with this, and terrified that he thinks so much of me. I also find myself unsure of how to deal with the things I'm "FEELING." (Yes, the F word. I'm a T.) Is it better to tell people why I can't stand to be in a room with laughter, or to just spend time alone? Has anyone else ever dealt with something like this?

pallasathena
04-02-2008, 09:40 PM
I am so sorry to hear about your friend. You are a good friend to support him during this horrible time. There is nothing wrong in telling someone that you love them. There are many types of love-agape, philia, and eros. It sounds like you have philia love for your friend. That means you are fond of him and have a genuine affection for him. Eros, or erotic love is something completely different. My feeling is as long as you don't tell him that you are IN LOVE with him, you are OK. You did not lie to him.

Tinmaiden
04-02-2008, 10:45 PM
Thank you. You're right, of course; INTJs usually are. I appreciate you taking the time to offer your thoughts, and the different types of love never occurred to me. Now that I can see the differences and classify my affection appropriately, I'm beginning to feel better.

Sod
04-03-2008, 12:04 AM
I'm sorry to hear about what's happening to your friend. It sounds like you truly do love him - just not in a romantic sense of the word (as was pointed out.) So I guess you weren't lying when you said 'yes.'

Beery Swine
05-10-2008, 12:41 PM
If it was me, and I actually cared about the person in question, I'd lie throught my teeth, the whole nine yards. There's nothing wrong with a little heroin for the dying. Having said that, however, it is ultimately your decision and you bear the responsibility to do what you think is right. Reason it out after listening to people's advice, but I hope you do continue the lie.

I know someone who's grandfather was dying and he/she lied to him on his deathbed, told every pretty story he/she could think of. GF was a Christian and he/she was an Atheist, so he/she told him he/she was born again and loved Jesus more than anything and all that.

Nihilum
12-13-2008, 05:16 PM
Your altruism here is without fault. But there seems to be a lack of foresight. What if he survives? It may be highly unlikely, but if he does, what will you tell him? I understand that you didn't have time to think, so in this case I think your lie was well placed.

ClydeB
12-13-2008, 06:05 PM
I think what you did was a good thing. A very good thing. It wasn't about you lying or telling the truth. It was about being there for your friend in his time of need. Giving him comfort and letting him know he's not alone.

Was in a similar situation. My father had cancer, and his liver failed from it. Doctors sent him home with a 1 month to live prognosis. Now my father and I didn't see eye to eye on things. And didn't talk much. I was debating whether to make the cross country trip or not to see him one last time. During a discussion with my friend he asked me which would I regret more. Staying or going. So I went. Hugged him, told him I loved him. Did the dutiful son routine. Said goodbye. Came home and thanked my friend for helping me when I needed it.

Let me ask you the same question I was asked. Even if its after the fact. Which would you regret more? The little white lie to a good friend who's dying? Or telling a little white lie because you have never felt love before?

boldbidder
12-16-2008, 02:26 PM
There was no fault in telling him that you loved him. You're 19 so I'm sure you've discovered at this point that true friends for INTJs are quite fleeting. I know personally that I can count my true friends on one hand. Even though a few of which I don't speak with regularly there is literally nothing I wouldn't do for them at the drop of a hat, I value them that much. It sounds like you have strong feelings for your friend so I would encourage you to continue to do whatever you can to minimize his suffering and make is final time as pleasant as possible.

Zombicide
12-17-2008, 05:45 PM
Might as well lie to him if he's going to die soon anyway but if by some chance he does not die, it could be a problem. It sounds like he's sure he's going to die, so it shouldn't become an issue. Even if he doesn't, from what you say you said to him, it doesn't sound like it would necessarily be a problem anyway.

Terian
12-18-2008, 07:30 AM
Exercising your free will to the detriment of another person, is the definition of evil in my opinion.
The opposite goes for "good": exercising your free will to the benefit of another person.

The question is immediately whether what you did was good or bad, but whether you were doing him a favor or disservice.

SmileyMan
12-18-2008, 07:28 PM
So is he dead?

universalis
02-21-2009, 08:25 PM
We are all dying, he is just dying faster. I would tell him the truth and not lie. Why violate your principals for the sake of his feelings? He will be dead soon anyway and the dead don't have feelings.

Rather ask, "what is good for me?". Altruism doesn't exist. You lied so you'd feel good about yourself.

Noehelia
02-21-2009, 08:44 PM
We are all dying, he is just dying faster. I would tell him the truth and not lie. Why violate your principals for the sake of his feelings? He will be dead soon anyway and the dead don't have feelings.

Rather ask, "what is good for me?". Altruism doesn't exist. You lied so you'd feel good about yourself.
Not that with this action we wouldn't feel good with ourselves but I disagree with the first part of the rationale. We are all going to die and we won't have feelings after we die then why care about hurting the feelings of anyone in our lives. Also why care of trying to feel good with ourselves if we are also going to die and we won't have feelings after death?

By the way, the thread is kind of too old but the moral problem is interesting.

amyleanne
02-21-2009, 08:47 PM
Poor kid. I would have done the same thing in your position...at least he'll die happy. Plus if there is any chance he might overcome the illness...certainly being in good spirits and having something to live for can't hurt his aptitude for survival.

Samoan Corleone
02-21-2009, 09:01 PM
Yes, you genuinely love him, and you've got the reasons to back that. You did not lie.